Chiral Carbonaceous Nanotubes Modified with Titania Nanocrystals: Plasmon-Free and Recyclable SERS Sensitivity

Chiral carbonaceous nanotubes (CNT) were successfully used in plasmon-free surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for the first time. Further modification of TiO2 nanocrystals on the chiral CNTs successfully realized the recycling of SERS substrate as chiral CNT/TiO2 hybrids. The high SERS sensitivity of methylene blue (MB) over the chiral CNT/TiO2 hybrids is ascribed to the laser-driven birefringence induced by the helical structure, which provides much more opportunities for the occurrence of Raman scattering. The TiO2 nanocrystals highly dispersed on the surface and inside the hollow cavity of chiral CNTs can completely degrade the MB under the solar light irradiation, leading to the self-cleaning of SERS substrate. The present research opens a new way for the application of chiral inorganic materials in plasmon-free SERS detection.